Radio frequency circuits are integrated in semiconductor chips in order thus, by way of example, to output signals via an external antenna or to receive signals from the latter and process them further. Semiconductor chips with specific radio frequency circuits are provided for use in RF tags on smart cards and do not have their own power supply, for example, in the form of a battery. Power is then supplied to the circuit integrated in the chip by means of the energy of a signal received by the antenna. The received signal is rectified internally and its energy is used for operating the circuit or stored in a storage capacitor situated in the chip.
With present-day production methods, the simultaneous integration of a large storage capacitor and a logic circuit for a radio frequency arrangement on one and the same semiconductor chip requires very many and complex processes. Thus, by way of example, the number of masks to be used and exposure steps during production is very high. This leads to longer throughput times and lower yields, as a result of which the overall costs, in turn, rise.